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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a tool
  4. squash — the sport
  5. fine — all right
  6. pound — a weight
  7. file — a line of people
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. rule — a law
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. march — the month
  14. squash — to crush
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. rule — government
  18. kick — in football
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. march — the month
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. wake — a trail

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com